Illinois

This McAdams house was located three miles west of Hillsboro, Montgomery County,
Illinois and was known as the Joseph McAdams Farm. Prior to 1823, all County's public
business was performed in this house, home of Joseph McAdams.
Montgomery County, was named for General Montgomery who fell before Quebec, was organized
12 Feb. 1821. John Beck, John Steward and John McAdams were appointed Commissioners who met
in the Joseph McAdams house. James Wright and Daniel Meredith were county constables. Joseph
McAdams offered to donate 20 acres of land for the new courthouse that was to be built on his land.
After a bitter fight over the site the Commissioners selected the present court house site at Hillsboro.
Newton Coffey was the only person who could spare the money to pay for the entry fee and he donated
the necessary 20 acres.

Joseph McAdams b. 1757 in York Co., Penn. married Jemina Justice (2) Sarah Bradford in Orange
County, North Carolina. Sometime before 1794, the family moved to near Nashville in Sumner County,
Tenn. By 1800, he was living in Logan County, Kentucky before moving on to Montgomery County,
Ill. He died in Bond County where his brother, William McAdams had migrated to in about 1817.